The field of ultra-high pressure fluid jet cutting technology has seen many advances from its infancy in the early to mid 1970's until the present. Fluid pump technology has advanced to the point that pressures in excess of 60,000 psi are routinely used in commercial settings; material science advances have increased the longevity of the wear components. This, of course, is not to say that all that can be invented has been invented.
The basic components of an ultra-high pressure fluid jet cutting system include a pump for providing a source of ultra-high pressure fluid and a nozzle assembly. The nozzle assembly generally comprises an inlet body, a precisely formed orifice for creating a jet of ultra-high pressure fluid, a mixing chamber for receiving and integrating abrasive material to enhance the cutting properties of the jet, and a mixing tube to further integrate the abrasive material and form the desired column or jet of abrasive suspended fluid. While many components of the overall system are subject to wear, both the precisely formed orifice and components downstream therefrom are particularly subject to wear due to the presence of abrasive material suspended in an ultra-high pressure fluid.
Another factor concerning high pressure fluid nozzles relates to the alignment of the orifice with the mixing tube. Misalignment of the orifice with the remaining downstream components can seriously affect both the performance of the nozzle as well as the longevity of its components.
In view of the foregoing facts, it is desirable to create a nozzle assembly that provides precise alignment between the orifice and the distal or downstream portion of the mixing tube so as to minimize wear due to misalignment, and to create a nozzle assembly that provides for easy replacement of wear parts. Moreover, it is desirable to form as precise a jet as possible, and therefore any factors that may interfere with such operations, such as turbulence prior to the pressurized fluid passing through the orifice, are to be avoided.